If you are into fashion, Jordan Bunker needs little introduction. As one of the UK's most beloved menswear content creators with a taste for sustainable fashion and responsible consumption, he has been immersed in the industry for over eight years. We had the pleasure of sitting down with him to discuss his approach to fashion and style.
Photography by Matthew Spade
What sparked your interest in fashion? Can you pinpoint the pivotal moment when your passion for menswear transitioned from a hobby to a dedicated career?
I didn’t have immediate family members or friends connected to fashion, so sometimes I find it difficult to say, yes that was the moment. For some reason I’ve always felt an underlying appreciation for fashion; it’s ability to help us express ourselves and our creativity. Coming from a small town in Leicestershire, I think social media helped me feel more connected to fashion, as I was able to find other people with similar interests to myself beyond my locale. I’m fortunate to work in my passion now and I’ll never take that for granted.
With over eight years of experience in menswear, how do you see the landscape evolving, especially in terms of sustainability and ethical practices?
Menswear is growing, even faster than womenswear and I just hope that it evolves the right way. As an industry we all know of the impact fashion has on the planet and the supply chains its involved with. We all need to push for wholesale collective change to truly steer fashion away from the negative impact its currently having and turn it into a positive one. .
What is your personal idea of style?
For me it starts with feeling comfortable. From there you can begin to feel confident and have onus about what you wear and how you wear something. My colour palette is predominately navy and grey – with the occasional inclusion of some colour – so I think I like to focus more on silhouettes and fabrics. It’s simple, but it’s considered.
What are your top five wardrobe essentials?
I always pretence my response to questions like this by saying everyone’s essentials are different depending on how you dress. For me, I’d go with a good white t-shirt, a relaxed pair of navy trousers, a grey sweatshirt, some form of knitwear and then a pair of comfortable footwear.
What do you like best and dislike most about fashion?
Let’s start with the like first shall we. I think I like the creativity that it harbours, especially given the landscape we are currently in. There are so many challenges the fashion industry is facing, both financially and ecologically, but from these limitations, creativity comes to the fore. As for dislike, I could sadly name a few, which probably shows my pessimism at times towards fashion. I reckon for me it’s a combination of the fast fashion greenwashing tropes that confuse the consumer and then the ingrained desire to consume excessively that we find hard to detach from.
Can you tell us about SANVT and how it aligns with your values in fashion and sustainability?
What I enjoy about SANVT is your focus on removing the noise from fashion and creating a core wardrobe that works alongside your transparent values. I think when a brand can talk about their carbon emissions, being honest about their materials and the why, it’s a sign of a brand doing things the right way. No brand is at the end goal yet and I think you recognise that too... we’re all on a journey.
What’s one thing that people would find surprising about you?
It might not be surprising to some, but I’m quite open in saying that my first partnership when starting in social media was with one of the ultra-fast fashion brands. I always like to mention this as I feel it perhaps illustrates how we all must start somewhere in order to become a better consumer.
Where do you find inspiration for your work?
Inspiration for me comes from a number of sources. The friends I have around me and the conversations we have about fashion, the inspiring work that companies such as The Or Foundation and Labour Behind the Label do, fighting injustices that are happening within fashion, and Activists in the social space such as Aja Barber and Venetia La Manna.
"There are so many challenges the fashion industry is facing, both financially and ecologically, but from these limitations, creativity comes to the fore."